


The Sweetest Drug

by SapphireBlueJiyuu



Series: Arya x Gendry Week 2013 [6]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Epic Love, F/M, Future Fic, Gen, Heavy Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-11
Updated: 2013-08-11
Packaged: 2017-12-23 03:02:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/921227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphireBlueJiyuu/pseuds/SapphireBlueJiyuu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>AxG Week Prompt 7</b>: <i>Drug</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	The Sweetest Drug

**Author's Note:**

  * For [winterwaters](https://archiveofourown.org/users/winterwaters/gifts).



> This one was really hard for my to write so I truly hope you all enjoy it. It was heavily inspired by Angrybee's "Hajime and Tokio" so if you see echoes of that piece in here, that is why. ;3
> 
> A huge shout out to **Noms (WinterWaters)** who is a constant source of inspiration for my Gendrya love. Thank you, sweetie! Here's to kicking off our newest project,  Estranged Love! :D

“ _There is nothing quite like the river of time. One moment gentle, the next plunging into rapids, becoming wide, then narrowing, but always dashing forwards. No man can build a dam to harness its strength. No woman can cry enough tears to overflow its banks.  
_

_But, in the end, there is the promise of the sea. The river of time spills its secrets there. This ocean stretches on forever, filled with memories, swimming with strong currents of every possible emotion, lined with waves of sighs and ripples of laughter that no living entity can hear._

_In the sea, all rivers become one, once again. In joyous revel, no soul is distinguishable from another. They exalt the sky in continuous worship of the day, when the clouds come t_ _o take into their silvery bower, the souls of the departed. To draw them out and bestow yet another chance to begin rivers anew as rain..._

 _or as snow._ ”

– Angrybee “Hajime & Tokio” July 28th 2003

* * *

  
**Year 339AL**

Arya Waters – 50

Gendry Waters – 54

Their children: Nymeria (33) _unmarried_ , Syrio (30) _unmarried (though he has courting Robert Arryn's daughter for a little over a year now)_ ,  Jon (30) _married to Cassandra_ (Wylla Manderly's daughter)

* * * * *

The leaves crunched beneath Snowy's hooves, as Jon clung to the rein’s, making sure that his daughter wouldn't slide off, even though she sat snugly between him and the front of the saddle. "Father, are we lost?"

Jon smirked down at his pretty girl, who had recently lost two of her baby teeth, to see her turn to shoot a large, mostly-toothy grin up at him. "Your faith in me dwindles by the hour, Cassie, my dear. We are _not_ lost. Winterfell is only a few leagues over from Winter town? How could we possibly be lost?"

“Well, mother said that you got lost coming home from the pub just last week. And that's only just down the ways, next to the inn."

Jon tried to cover his embarrassment by narrowing his eyes at her before forcing her head back around with the tips of his fingers atop her head. "Yes, well, we are almost there, so just turn back around and let me concentrate on getting us there in one piece."

Cassie had complete faith in her father and was excited at the prospect of visiting her grandfather Gendry and grandmother Arya.

As they made their way through the gates of Winterfell, Cassie waved excitedly at the two knights who stood guard at the gates. They tipped their heads in recognition of Lady Arya's granddaughter and son whose visits have been frequent since the ailing health of Lady Arya's husband, Gendry. Cassie liked the knights that guarded Winterfell. They always looked so regal and shiny. Some, like her Aunty Nymeria, would sneak her sweets when her father was not looking, and let her hold their sword. Cassie knew many great knights and was determined to be one herself when she was tall enough. 

As they rode through the courtyard, Cassie spotted her Uncle Syrio, her father's twin brother, with his nose buried in a book, walking just beyond the market place. "Uncle Syrio! Uncle Syrio!"

Syrio turned around and waved back towards young girl before doubling back around to meet them half way. Cassie squirmed and wiggled until she found herself being handed off to her favorite uncle. She was set down on the ground gently before she tugged on his breeches. "Will you tell me a story later, Uncle Syrio?"

"I would be honored to tell you one, Cassie.” Syrio declared. He patted her head and grinned at his brother in greeting as he dismounted.

"Why don't you go on in to the castle and look for your grandmother? I'd wager she would be with the Queen right now."

Cassie dashed ahead, waving at the various Queens guards she saw along the way.

Behind her, Syrio straightened up, the smile falling from his face as he looked at his brother.

"How is he?" Jon asked.

"Who can tell?" Syrio replied, waving over the stable-boy before gesturing for him to take Jon's horse, "He won't stay in bed, and he refuses to allow me to fetch a maester."

"Mother is completely useless in the matter. She says that Father has never liked maesters. If maester Sam could not change his mind about them, there is no use in trying to change him now."

Jon shook his head, but knew his Mother's words to be the truth. His father wasn't going to just lay around like an invalid, even if he was in pain. "That stubborn, old bull..."

* * *

 Cassie skipped up the stone steps of the castle, whizzing pass a handful of the old maids and stewards. They would glare at the back of the little underfoot, who dragged in dirt on the newly polished floors, muttering how she was so much like her grandmother when she was younger.

As she made her way to the Queen's small council chambers, she passed by the Great Hall and saw her grandfather and her Great-uncle Jon playing a game of crevasse on one of the long dining tables.

“Grandfather Gendry! Grandfather Gendry!

“Say, Jon, do you hear something? Because I hear a pup yapping away.” Gendry teased, purposefully ignoring his granddaughter who was standing next to him, hands planted on her hips indigently.

“I'm right here, Grandfatherrrrr!” Cassie whined, tugging at his worn jerkin.

Gendry turned to her and pretended to be surprised. “Oh! Cassie sweetling. I was you. And I here I thought mayhaps I had heard the voice of a pup spirit.” He teased, gingerly picking her up onto his lap as he always had but this time, he had to turn his face away to hide the grimace of pain from his bubbly granddaughter. Gendry turned back just in time to beamed down at her the moment she started telling him she lost her two front teeth. 

"I see. Tell me, did you loose them when you were fighting with your brother again?"

Cassie shook her head. "No, they came out the normal way." She turned towards her Great-uncle Jon. "Have you ever lost a tooth when you fought with your brothers, Great-uncle Jon?"

Jon chuckled. "Aye. But you should have seen Robb. He was worse off than I."

"That's hardly a fair claim to state since the man in question is not here to defend himself." Gendry quipped.

Cassie swiveled around in her grandfather's lap and asked him, "Have you ever lost a tooth in a fight, Grandfather?"

"I can't say I have. But I did break a rib fighting with your Grandmother Arya." Gendry supplied with a sheepish grin.

"That's because Grandmother Arya is the strongest, most amazing fighter in all the realm! You should have known better than to challenge her." Cassie proclaimed.

Gendry and Jon laughed. "Yes, I suppose I should have. Now, why don't you run along and go bother your Grandmother. Your Great-uncle is about to loose his great sword to me in this match."

"Dream on, Waters."

Cassie climbed down from her grandfather's lap and disappeared around the corner that lead to the Queen's small council chambers. 

Gendry was staring at the board, debating his next move, when he asked Jon what was worrying him so.

Jon sighed before said quietly, "You shouldn't let her crawl around on you like that in your condition."

"Oh, buck up, Jon. If you want someone to nag, go get married," Gendry replied.   
  
"You're not twenty anymore, old bull."  
  
"No? But I did beat a potential raper senseless last week. And  _he_ was twenty."

Jon lifted an eyebrow at the statement. "How did you manage to stumble across that?"

Gendry smirked as he moved his next piece, "He was stupid enough to try it inside my forge."

* * *

Just as Cassie rounded the final corner, a group of very serious looking people came out of the Queen's council chambers. She waved at her Aunty Nymeria, who was the Commander of the Queen's guard and Queen Sansa's sworn shield. Cassie wanted to grow up to be just like her amazing and wonderful Aunty Nym. 

"Good afternoon, Aunty Nymeria! Would you like to see my missing teeth?" Cassie asked, hoping she would say yes.

"I can see a shadow of it from here, silly girl." Nymeria said before she scooped her up and brought her into the chambers.

Inside, Princess Arya and Queen Sansa sat in large ornate chairs. Her grandmother was sculpting a wooden toy with a small carving knife and the Queen pushed aside a large stack of papers as she happily greeted her great-niece. 

Cassie curtsied low in front of the Queen before she propelled herself into her Grandmother Arya's arms. Cassie liked a lot of people, her mother and father, and  _sometimes_  her big brother, and Grandfather Gendry, Uncle Syrio, the Queen, and her Great-uncle Jon and her Aunty Nymeria... but she couldn't say she liked anyone quite so much as her Grandmother Arya. Her grandma loved to show her all the fun things to do like sword fighting, chasing cats, water dancing, and how to speak Bravosi. She even gave Cassie her very first wooden sword for her fifth nameday. 

"Oh, Cassie, my special girl, look at you, aren't you getting big?" Arya leaned down to look at her granddaughter, only to have the little girl whisper something in her ear.  
  
"You lost two of your teeth? Well, we should celebrate with some lemon cakes." As she push a large plate of retangular bars of lemon cakes towards her granddaughter. "The kitchens just sent this fresh batch out but, you'll have to keep it a secret; your father doesn't like when I give you sweets." Ayra tapped the little girl on the nose and set about taking a bite of her own treat. So, perhaps she did spoil Cassie bit. It was a grandmother's right to do so and Arya had never been one for rules. She carefully picked one up from the top of the pile of tastey treats and happily held it out for Cassie. "How is your lady mother fairing?"  
  
"She is enormous!" Cassie declared, outstretching her arms and puffing up her cheeks to demonstrate. "The babe is going to be as big as a dragon!"  
  
The Queen smiled sweetly. "Is that so? Well, I suppose we'll have to have the kitchens pack some food for you to take to her."  
  
Cassie nodded, her mouth too full to make a reply. Her grandmother poured her a goblet of iced honey milk as the Queen turned to Nymeria and asked her to let Cassie's father know that she is safely with them. Cassie understood that after this, she will soon have to go and wash up for supper, and that meant Grandmother Arya will be hiding her in the forge where her Grandfather Gendry would make her pretty necklaces out of metal scraps. Until then, Grandmother Arya and Queen Sansa would tell her stories about Robert's Rebellion and Aegon the Conqueror. Cassie in turn would told her Grandmother and Great-aunt all about her lessons and the adventures that her father takes her on, and about how stupid her brother could be. Yes, to Cassie, being with Grandmother Arya and Queen Sansa was the absolute best thing in the entire world.  
  
"Your highness?"  
  
"Yes, Cassie, my sweet?"  
  
"I want to be a knight just like Aunty Nymeria,” Cassie proclaimed to Sansa and Arya, who smiled at their little lady.  
  
The Queen leaned forward towards her grandniece, before saying, "For true? Well, then you will have to be trained by the best. Your Grandmother can still run circles around the new recruits. I'm sure she would be more than happy to allow you to apprentice with her, if only you were to ask her properly." Queen Sansa teasingly gave her sister a pointed look.

“Grandmother Arya?”

Arya sat up slightly straighter in her chair before answering in mock severity, “Yes, Cassie, sweetling?”

“Could you please teach me how to be the best knight that ever lived?”

Arya thought about this for a very long while, to the point where Cassie was scared that her favorite person in the whole of the world would not agree to teaching her.

And then Arya looked down at her and pulled her into her arms. "Aye, my special girl, I shall teach you how to be the greatest warrior in all the realm. It will not be easy, and it will take _a lot_ of work, but I assure you that after you train with me, you will most certainly be the greatest knight that ever lived."

"I will try my very best, Grandmother Arya," Cassie swore, her eyes alight with conviction. “I promise, I will not let you down.”

Arya felt a sudden wave of sadness wash over her. There were so many possibilities for Cassie. She lived in a world where her land was not being ravaged by war, a world without slavery, and where peace was restored to Westeros and a new era was being born. She was surrounded by her family, where her heritage lives on and she could hold her head up high to know that her family had reclaimed and rebuilt Winterfell. The White Walkers from beyond The Wall had been defeated and The Long Winter was nearly over. That that part of their history is now in the past, and, like the old saying goes, the wolves have returned to full form and is once again reigning the North. There were still problems in the world... but Cassie could walk the streets, her head held high, proud to be who she was. She'd be a fine woman, Arya knew, and probably do and see things Arya could never even begin to imagine.

Cassie lived in a wonderful world, a world that her grandfather and grandmother had helped to bring into fruition.

Arya closed her eyes as she heard the pounding footsteps approach the chambers. “ _No, not yet. Not today._ _”_

"Mother! Seven hells! Mother!" Syrio came running in, barely acknowledging that he was in the presence of the Queen in the North, before he stammered, panting, strangely out of breath for how short a distance he would have had to run. 

Arya opened her eyes, looking up from the top of Cassie's head.

"It's... father..."

She had hoped the family could have had a few more meals together. " _Just one, at least. One more meal before saying goodbye._ "

* * *

Gendry was moved from the Great Hall to his cot in the forge, saying that he did not believe he wants to stink up Arya's room in the castle but they figured it was truly because he wanted to be as comfortable as he can before he passed. Samwell Tarly, who travelled down with Jon Snow to visit Winterfell, was asked to leave the forge once he had declared that Gendry was not going to live past that night. Arya sat in the corner of the room on Gendry's old work bench, her granddaughter was curled in her lap, fast asleep. The forge was crowded, overflowing with the dark whispers of family and friends alike. The sounds of feet and hushed voices pounded into her mind, intruding upon her thoughts, keeping her from thinking of much of anything.

As night fell, one by one, people came to say their goodbyes. Or rather, Gendry had a few choice words for them; a piece of his mind, to give to people before he would consent to rest.

He had told Nymeria that he was so proud of her and told her to not be so hard on herself. She was allowed to be happy. 

He had thanked Queen Sansa for allowing him to marry Arya, despite the fact that he had never been legitamized. 

To his sons, Gendry held their hands and told them to look after their mother and that they were men of honor, that whenever they feel as though they have lost their way, to always follow their heart for it is always true and just. 

Finally, Jon Snow came to sit next to him on the cot, his hands folded in his lap, looking down at his dying friend with tremendous sadness welling from his eyes.

"Well, Jon... it seems we are at the end of our fight."

"Aye." Jon placed his hand over his friends and gave him a watery smile, "I am so blessed to have meet a man as honorable as you."

"Aye... and, as much as it pains me to say it, I feel the same way." Gendry laughed weakly with Jon, coughing at the shortness of breath. 

Jon's face was serious. "Thank you... for always taking care of Arya. I know that being with her was not easy, at times, it was downright hell. But you never broke your end of the bargin. You've always loved and cared for her."

Gendry smiled at his old friend, "Trust me, it was easier to live with her than to live without her." The old blacksmith winced from the pain laying havoc to his gut. He grounded out, through gritted teeth, "Jon. Bring Arya here."

Jon got up to retrieve his weary sister from her corner in the forge, her body in a half dead state of physical and emotional exhaustion. Seating her on the cot, Arya fought against the new wave of tears that threatened to overflow.

"Arya..." He watched her evenly, his eyes still as clear and keen as the first day they met, though now they were surrounded with cutting lines from age.

She bent her head down, pressing her calloused hand to her husband's cheek. She whispered harshly, "You promised. You weren't supposed to leave me... Gendry... please don't leave me...”

Gendry took a unsteady breath, “Don't cry, Arya. I could never take it when you'd cry.”

Arya tried to quickly wipe away her tears but they kept falling relentlessly, “Please don't leave me behind. I've... I've forgotten how to live without you.” She buried her face into Gendry's broad chest and clung to his jerkin.

“I'm sorry, my lady, but it seems this time, I cannot do as you command.” Gendry said weakly.

Arya pulled away from him to see his face contored in pain. “Gendry... I... I don't want to say goodbye...”

"Yes. It seems we were never good at saying that." With what remained of his strength, he pulled her close, kissing her softly, gently, finding her lips as delightful and giving as ever they had been. He felt Arya sigh, losing herself in their last moments together. She became, just for a moment, not a woman losing her husband, but a woman kissing her beloved. It felt like an instant, and at the same time, like an eternity.

"Arya... my fierce wolf princess... will you forgive me... for leaving you once again?"

Arya was choking on her sobs so bad that all she could do was nod, her shaking fingers clutching his cold ones. 

He closed his eyes, his body becoming strangely still. "Thank you, my lady."

Arya watched as her husband's breathing disappeared into nothingness. "Don't call me a 'lady', stupid."

* * *

Cassie woke up in the middle of the night. Or, at least, it seemed like it must be the middle of the night. The castle was very, very quiet, and very dark. She made her way from the room where her father was sleeping on the large bed, covered in a mountain of fur. Cassie quietly pushed the door from the room open and recognized the hallway as a her grandmother and grandfather's side of the castle. Counting down three doors to the right of the room they were staying in, Cassie came to the large oak door of her grandmother's solar. From under the crack of the threshold, Cassie was able to see light. Opening the door as quietly as possible, Cassie found her grandmother sitting with what looked like an old tunic and a very tattered pair of her riding breeches. She was sewing a hole in the worn pair of breeches, albeit not very well. Cassie came to sit next to her grandmother on the stone floor right beside the chair.

“Grandmother?” Cassie asked sleepily, leaning her head against Arya's knee, “Everyone was so sad today. Are you sad as well?”

“Yes, I am, sweetling,” Arya winced slightly as she pricked her finger with the needle, “But, fear not, I will not be so, for long.”

“Good.” Cassie was happy to hear that and relaxed against her grandmother's knee watching lazily as Arya attempted to mend the old riding pants, “Why are you stitching your riding breeches yourself, Grandmother Arya? Doesn't the maids usually do them for you?”

“They do, sweetling, but these are a very special pair of breeches being stitched for a very special journey. You see, these breeches belong to a wild Wolf Princess and she will be going on a very long trip. The Wolf Princess will be off to meet her humble Bull and she wants to make sure that he recognizes her when she gets there. She has a very important message to tell him. Something that he has told her half a thousand times but she had yet to find the courage to tell him in return.”

“What is it that the Wolf Princess needs to tell the Bull?” Cassie asked earnestly.

“That she loved him too.” Arya said simply.

“Ah, I see.” Cassie nodded but she did not actually to follow what her grandmother was saying. She could not understand how saying something like that would need courage but she didn't want her grandmother to think she was anything but clever so she did not ask for further explanation. Besides, it was very late, and she was very tired. She rubbed her eyes, trying to stay awake to watch her grandmother sew, but ended up yawning. Her eyes fluttered open and closed, taking sleepy snapshots of her grandmother as she fought off the world of dreams.

Sometime later, Cassie found herself being carried into the other room, and gently tucked into the soft furs next to her father, who was still fast asleep. Her grandma smiled at her, kissed her on the cheek, and told her to go back to sleep.

* * *

It had began to snow when the castle started to wake up. The blanket of white covered all of Winterfell in a bed of downy softness.

It was Nymeria who found Arya the next morning, her face was pressed into the crook of her husband's neck, her hands holding his.

Beside her was an empty plate. It had once held a small heap of delectable lemon cakes so sweet Arya never tasted the poison.

 


End file.
